Press Release - May 23, 2000
Press coverage - This study received widespread national and international attention from the mass media. For example, check the story from CBS News (CBS Early Show and CBS Evening News), CNN Headline News, or one of hundreds of print articles that ran in the Boston Herald ("Even G-rated movies are violent, study finds" by J.M. Lawrence, front page), Washington Post ("Cartoons That Aren't for Kids; Harvard Researchers Recommend Ratings Warn Parents of Violent Content" by Paul Farhi, page C1), Harper's Magazine, Time Magazine (column by Amy Dickinson, June 12, 2000), Hobart Mercury, The Independent, Scotland on Sunday, or numerous other popular media outlets.

Answers to frequently asked questions -

What are the study’s main findings?
How many films did you review?
How did you define violence?
Why should parents be concerned about violence in films?
What did you observe about the types of characters that are injured or killed?
Are animated films getting more violent?
What weapons were used?
What messages are children getting from these films?
Which films contained the most violence?
Which films contained the least violence?
Does this mean that society is getting more violent?
Is all violence bad?
Where can I find more information about violent content in films?

What are the study’s main findings?

• Every one of the 74 animated G-rated feature films reviewed contained at least one act of violence. There is great variation in the amount of violence in these films ranging from 6 seconds to 24 minutes, with an average of 9.5 minutes of violent scenes. Parents need to be aware that violence is common in G-rated animated films, and should consider watching these films with their children and taking advantage of opportunities to talk to their kids about violence.

• A "G" rating does not automatically signify a level of violence acceptable to all children. The current rating system may provide a false sense of security about violent content in animated films. Parents should not overlook these videos as a source of exposure to violence for children.

• Most of the violence in these films shows characters fighting with each other and using violence as a means for resolving conflict.

• Characters use a wide range of weapons in their violent acts like shotguns and swords as well as common household items like brooms.

• The study does not suggest that children should be prohibited from watching these animated films. The study concludes that G-rated animated films contain material that may be disturbing to young viewers or could be dangerous if imitated. Parents need to judge for themselves the appropriateness of the material and should not rely on the current rating system.
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Our review included 74 G-rated animated feature films released in theaters (1937-1999) and available for rental on videocassette before September of 1999. A list of the films reviewed and the information that we collected is summarized in the table published in the JAMA article.
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How did you define violence?

We defined violence as an intentional act of a character to make physical contact with another character that had the potential to cause injury or harm. Essentially, this is the use of physical force by a character to achieve a goal. The intention of the acts ranged from very violent acts as severe as murder or less malicious acts like hitting another character for fun or laughs.

Obvious examples include when Simba's father, Mufasa, is murdered by Uncle Scar in The Lion King (1994) while Simba watches, when Frollo ignites the stake that Esmerelda is tied to in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and when Mickey attacks the broom carrying water with an axe in Fantasia (1940).

Some less malicious examples include when Dumbo (1941) shoots peanuts at the female elephants, and when Tigger bounces on Rabbit and knocks him over in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). A less obvious example is the comedic song and dance number where the two heads of the two-headed dragon in Quest for Camelot (1998) consider various violent ways to separate themselves.
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Why should parents be concerned about violence in films?

Parents should be concerned about violence in all contexts, not just movies, but books, computer games, television, music, and out on the streets. We are highlighting an important opportunity for parents to use these animated films to talk to their children about violence. Parents can watch these films with their children, discuss the appropriateness of the actions given the circumstances, and explore alternative solutions without the use of violence.
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What did you observe about the types of characters that are injured or killed?

For each character that engaged in a violent act, we recorded whether the character was "good," "bad," or "neutral." We found that in the 74 films there were a total of 125 injuries, 62 of which were fatal. Characters portrayed as "bad" were 23 times more likely to die of an injury than good and neutral characters.
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Are animated films getting more violent?

There are large differences in the amount of violence in the films. The total amount of violence for individual films ranges from 6 seconds (My Neighbor Totoro) to 24 minutes (Quest for Camelot), with an average of 9.5 minutes of violence per film. We found a statistically significant increase in the amount of violence in films over time. This relationship implies that on average a film released in the early 1940's had 6 minutes of violence while a film released in the late 1990's had an average of 11 minutes of violence.
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What weapons were used?

Our review specifically characterizes the use of the character’s body, a sword, gun, magic, explosive, and poison as weapons. Many other objects were also used as weapons in violent acts (e.g., stones, broom, chainsaw). The table published in the JAMA article summarizes which weapons were used in each film.
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What messages are children getting from these films?

Our review identifies the films in which at least one character conveys a message of nonviolence (32% of films) and the films in which at least one character celebrates an act of violence by cheering or laughing (49% of films). One of the messages that might concern parents the most is that violence works as a strategy for resolving conflict.
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Which films contained the most violence?

Which films contained the least violence?

Film	Minutes of Violence (% of Film)
My Neighbor Totoro	0.1   (0.1%)
Kiki's Delivery Service	0.6   (0.6%)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	1.1   (1.3%)
Dumbo	1.3   (2.0%)
A Boy Named Charlie Brown	1.8   (2.1%)

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Does this mean that society is getting more violent?

Our review does not provide the necessary evidence to answer that question. We can say that there appears to be relatively more violence in G-rated animated films now than in the past, but this does not mean that society is getting more violent.
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Is all violence bad?

That is a question for all of us. Our study finds that there is a significant amount of violence in some G-rated animated films. Once parents are aware of the violence, they can talk to their children about this question.
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Where can I find more information about violent content in films?

Check out the Kids-in-mind and Screen It! Internet sites that post information about potentially objectionable material in films. Parents can use these resources to determine if the material in the film is appropriate for their child, as well as prepare to discuss the violent content in the films with their children.
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http://www.kidsrisk.harvard.edu/faqs1.html